The sound of cracking echoed as I sat quietly on the ground. My entire left arm was completely immobile. I glared viciously at the black humanoid figure before me. Though it had lost its limbs, with every furious roar, the surrounding rocks shattered, and shards flew about incessantly.
I was on the mountain to the left of the Lake of Desire, inside a cage built entirely from black lightning. It had completely trapped the creature within. The limbs it had severed from me were slowly growing back, and its power was increasing. The Endbringer Blade was stabbed into the ground before me, continuously channeling energy into the lightning cage. This small increase in power was no threat to me.
Right now, I just wanted to ask the Wraithlord if there was a quick, once-and-for-all solution. Dragging things out with this creature was pointless. Thinking back to everything that happened, it was clear that Ethan Zhang had long since violated the Law of Karma—and so had I.
Countless times, I should have returned to my original black humanoid state—completely dead. But again and again, I survived, altering the course of many lives. I gave a cold, uncertain smile and glanced at the surface of the lake, feeling lost. I stood up, planning to ask the Wraithlord for a solution. He should know what to do.
"I'll leave this to you."
With a thought, the Deathbane Ghost and Spirit Snake appeared beside me. Both nodded. I floated upward, glancing once more at the black humanoid struggling inside the cage, then turned and flew toward the lake.
Landing on the lake's surface, I saw the Wraithlord still asleep, so I entered the room made of water, planning to quietly wait for him to wake.
My left hand was completely numb, not even a trace of sensation. Annoyed, I glared at the Wraithlord. If he'd told me earlier, maybe I'd have found a solution by now. But how did he manage to drag out the black humanoid that was beginning to erode my body? I hadn't felt a thing.
After a while, the Wraithlord finally woke up, opening his eyes and giving me a puzzled look.
"You're still alive?"
I replied with a cold laugh.
"Of course. Do you know how to quickly bypass the Law of Karma?"
The Wraithlord glanced at me in confusion, then began to laugh. Suddenly, I sensed something wrong on the other side of the mountain—the black humanoid's power was increasing again.
"It's very troublesome. This thing needs time—there's no way around it. All right, you should leave now. I want to read."
With that, the Wraithlord sat back down at the table. I walked over slowly and watched as he opened the Blank Desire Tome. His gaze seemed to truly see something within, as if pondering some mystery. My confusion deepened—I even began to wonder if the book really did contain something.
"Go over there. Don't disturb me."
I stepped back a little, moving to a spot where I could see the tabletop and watched closely. I began to expand my awareness, sharpening my senses. This was the benefit of opening my realm—everything in the room was clear in my mind, as if I possessed multiple consciousnesses. Not a single detail escaped me.
After a long while, still nothing happened. I walked over again.
"You should have a way. If you tell me, I'll tell you what's in the book."
The Wraithlord turned and looked at me, puzzled.
"You can really see what's in the book?"
I nodded, feeling a bit helpless. The situation on the mountain was growing more unstable—the black humanoid was starting to break free from the cage. Although I’d left two ghost souls there, along with the Endbringer Blade, if its power grew too strong, a clash would erupt and that thing would break out. If it returned to my body, I’d be unable to cope.
"Of course I do. Isn’t this written by Mother Goddess Nuwa?"
In an instant, the Wraithlord gripped my neck. His eyes widened, and his previously calm face twisted into a savage snarl.
"Tell me what’s written in the book!"
I grinned slightly. Although the Wraithlord should have no memory of Nuwa, his body must have remembered the name. That’s why he was so furious now—the grip on my neck kept tightening.
It was working. I didn’t resist, but used my own power to counter the Wraithlord’s grip, shaking my head slightly.
"Unless you tell me how to quickly resolve the Law of Karma, I won’t tell you. Otherwise, you’ll never understand what’s in the book."
Gradually, the Wraithlord’s expression softened. He let go, clutching his head as if lost in thought, his demeanor turning slightly manic. I took a step back—if he exploded, he could injure me instantly.
Soon, the Wraithlord looked up, his gaze sharp and fixed on me.
"Fine, come with me."
I nodded and smiled. I was already prepared for the worst—if the Wraithlord realized I’d tricked him and lost control, I could just leave this place. He couldn’t set foot outside the Land of Desire.
I followed the Wraithlord up the mountain. The black humanoid’s limbs had fully regrown, and its body was larger—almost bursting the cage.
"Listen carefully. I’ll only say this once."
I nodded.
"Karma can be reversed. The method is dangerous, but it works. As long as you can enter the flow of karma and reverse the Law of Karma, everything will collapse on its own."
I stared at the Wraithlord in shock. He continued speaking.
"So-called karma reversal means flipping the cause and effect—essentially, inverting everything within your inner world. This will throw the Law of Karma into chaos and make it devour you even more fiercely. If you can endure it, you’ll completely transcend karma and never be affected by it again."
I still didn’t quite understand. The Wraithlord glanced at the black humanoid, eyes filled with confusion, as if lost in thought.
"What exactly do I have to do?"
I asked.
"It's simple—destroy everything from your past. In your inner world, as long as you break it all, your own karma will begin to reverse and unravel."
I nodded. The Wraithlord walked slowly to the cage. Suddenly, with a wave of his hand, the black humanoid turned to leave. But as the Wraithlord slightly raised his hand, it seemed to freeze in place, completely immobilized.
I stared intently at the black humanoid. Time itself seemed to stop for it. I looked at the Wraithlord in astonishment—what method was he using to control time?
"All right, I'll send you in—to the world of karma."
My eyes widened. In an instant, my ghost souls returned to my body, and I gripped the Endbringer Blade. The Wraithlord raised his other hand, aiming at me. His body twisted slightly, and suddenly my mind blurred as an overwhelming force sucked me in.
In an instant, darkness swallowed me. When I opened my eyes, I saw the chicken farm below—the place where it all began. The Soul-Binding Altar glowed with a ghostly green light, slowly extracting me from Zhang Qingyuan's body. Everything below was the beginning.
This was the start of my self-awareness. Others could only see blurry outlines, not faces—only I could see my own. At that moment, the Earth Soul, pulled from Zhang Qingyuan’s body, suddenly looked at me, eyes filled with sorrow.
I carefully recalled the Wraithlord’s words. This must be the world of karma, and he’d already told me the method—brutal and simple. All I had to do was destroy.
With a whoosh, I landed beside the Soul-Binding Altar. The Endbringer Blade in my hand erupted with black lightning, shooting in all directions. The crackling sound was deafening, and everything around me was instantly torn to pieces. My eyes widened as bolts of lightning rose from the ground, rampaging and destroying everything.
This was the very beginning of my memory. Gradually, everything around me turned to dust. I stared quietly at my surroundings.
The creaking noises echoed. I felt the whole world twisting. The air was filled with powerful thoughts and intentions, but none of it mattered to me anymore. Thinking back on everything I’d been through, I smiled.
"It’s all so long ago, those things from the past."
With a rush, I floated upward. I could feel waves of power pressing down on me from all sides. I liked this brutal simplicity—so much could be accomplished with sheer force.
Thunderous booms rang out. Waves of intent tried to invade my body, compressing me. I didn’t move, just stared wide-eyed.
"Instinct... Endbringer..."
With a deafening crash, a bolt of black lightning shattered everything around me.
Everything turned into black fragments, swirling through the air. I tilted my head and smiled. The scene shifted—I saw myself in the cage again, smiling faintly. This was after I woke up. As I opened my eyes, all I felt was fear and sorrow. At that time, I didn’t know what had happened, because I was still Zhang Qingyuan. Only later, when I realized I was no longer Zhang Qingyuan, did I begin my own path.
"All I need to do is destroy it all."
I said coldly, plunging the Endbringer Blade into the ground.